Irish-bred gelding Askhal Way, a second-stringer at best during his early career racing in Europe and Dubai, has turned into a tiger for Sheikh Mohammed’s powerhouse Godolphin Stable since shipping to America.

Yesterday, the 4-year-old son of Askhalani stamped his ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 4 at Churchill Downs, coming from off the pace under Mike Luzzi to wear down 11-1 shot Free Thinking in a stretch-long duel for a head victory in the Grade 2, $250,000 Kelso Handicap at a mile over Belmont’s Widener turf course.

The Kelso was Ashkal Way’s fifth win in starts in the United States, including stakes scores in the Elkwood at Monmouth Park and Grade 2 Bernard Baruch at Saratoga.

“The jockey gave a brilliant ride,” said his trainer, Saeed bin Suroor. “This horse is very tough, a fighter. He gives his best all the time.”

Though the news was good for Sheikh Mo, who also won a Group 1 in France, the same couldn’t be said for his brother, Sheikh Hamdan, whose horses race in the Shadwell Stable colors.

Yesterday afternoon, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin announced that Shadwell’s 4-year-old Invasor, the leading older horse in the nation off victories in the Pimlico Special, Suburban and Whitney handicaps, came down with a fever that likely will force him to skip a showdown with superstar 3-year-old Bernardini in Saturday’s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont.

“He had a 103 temperature Thursday,” McLaughlin said. “We pulled blood, and his white count was elevated. We treated him, walked him yesterday, took more blood, and that came back perfect.

“The timing is very inopportune. We were really looking forward to facing Bernardini, and it would have been a great race. We could try to rush a work into him to make the race, but we’d hate to risk him being sick again.”